Clint Eastwood

–>Scritto da:

Nick Schenk (sceneggiatura)

Dave Johannson (storia)

Nick Schenk (storia)

–>Produzione:

Bruce Berman (produttore esecutivo)

Clint Eastwood (regista)

Bill Gerber (regista)

Jenette Kahn (produttore esecutivo)

Robert Lorenz (regista)

Tim Moore (produttore esecutivo)

Adam Richman (produttore esecutivo)

–>Musiche:

Kyle Eastwood

Michael Stevens

–>Trama del film:

Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood. Written by alfiehitchie

Walt Kowalski is an embittered Korean War veteran who has just lost his wife. The world has changed around him as well. His once all-white neighborhood is now mostly Southeast Asian and he has a Hmong family living next door. He doesn't get along with his sons and is out of touch with his grandchildren, all of whom seem more interested in getting his house than anything else. His pride and joy, however, is his mint condition 1972 Gran Torino. When the Hmong teenager who lives next door, Thao, is challenged by his cousin and other local gang members to steal it, Walt almost shoots him. Gradually, however, he realizes he has more in common with his neighbors than his own family and becomes something of a neighborhood hero when he prevents the gangbangers from forcing Thao into their car. He gradually takes Thao under his wing, teaching him a few things about life and helps getting him a job. Walt's intervention has a price, however, when the gang shoots up Thao's house and attack his sister Sue. For Walt, it's time to take action, though not in a way you would expect. Written by garykmcd

Elderly Walt Kowalski is recently widowed. Much of Walt's views of life are shaped by his time in the Korean War. On strained relations with his grown sons and not wanting the advice of the priest of his wife's church, Walt is a gruff man who has few friends. As such, he lives a solitary life with his pet Labrador retriever Daisy in the same house he has lived in for years, which is located in a working class Highland Park, Michigan neighborhood. Recently, the neighborhood has gone through changes where it is now racially mixed. The Lor family, of ethnic Hmong descent, move into the house next door to Walt's, the family which includes two teenagers, streetwise Sue and shy Thao. Initially Walt wants nothing to do with his new foreign neighbors. Slowly, Walt does get involved in Sue and Thao's lives, despite Thao having once tried to steal Walt's beloved 1972 Gran Torino. That attempted theft was a Hmong gang initiation ritual, a gang to which Thao does not want to belong. Walt sees that Sue and Thao will never be able to live in peace as long as that gang exists. As his teen-aged neighbors' unofficial protector, Walt has to figure out how best to restore his sense of right in the neighborhood. Written by Huggo

In Michigan, the grumpy widower Walt Kowalski is a Korean War veteran full of prejudice that has just lost his beloved wife Dorothy. He is one of the last Caucasian Americans in his neighborhood and does not have good relationship with his sons and their families; therefore he is a lonely man. When his teenager neighbor Thao Vang Lor is pressed by his cousin Smokie to join his Hmong gang, he is assigned to steal the Gran Torino of Walt as part of his initiation in the gang. However, he is surprised by the old man and his traditional family feels ashamed with the incident. Later Walt saves Thao first and his sister Sue Lor from gangs and he has the gratitude of his next door neighbors and the neighborhood. On the day of his birthday, Walt is invited by Sue to join her family reunion and he begins a relationship with his neighbors, helping Thao to get a job. However, he realizes that the Hmong gang disturbs the neighborhood and after a coward attack of the gangster, Walt decides to take an ultimate attitude. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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1 Comment

ametaphysicalshark said

I feel like I should let everyone reading this know of my inherent bias
in favor of this film. I have seen twenty eight films from Clint
Eastwood as director and have liked the vast majority of them, and
loved a good number of them (my average rating for the 28 films is
7.9). Still, something felt off about "Gran Torino" based on the
trailer. I read it as Eastwood trying to be 'badass' again, trying to
be Dirty Harry again. "Gran Torino" is not that. Walt Kowalski may have
similarities with Dirty Harry, and could possibly be read as a
significantly older version of Harry (it's a stretch), but he is a
distinctive, memorable character on his own, and I'd go as far as
saying that it's one of Eastwood's finest performances, and one which
gives him a chance to show off his dramatic and comedic chops.

I'm not going to argue that "Gran Torino" has perfect acting from the
younger supporting cast. It doesn't. In fact, some of them are
downright bad at times, but the film works in spite of its flaws. This
screenplay was probably written with Eastwood in mind (I am not sure of
the behind-the-scenes details on this) and it shows. He captures
Kowalski perfectly. The film is surprisingly humorous, something that
isn't being captured well enough in advertising. It's absolutely
hilarious at times (watch as Kowalski attempts to make a man out of
Thao by teaching him how to talk like men do), and Eastwood handles the
shifts in tone brilliantly. When the film takes a dark turn towards the
end I sat on the edge of my seat in suspense, fully aware of where it
was heading but still mesmerized by Eastwood's tour-de-force direction.
This is an artist at his prime as an actor and as a director.

Whether or not "Gran Torino" will hold up as one of Eastwood's great
films remains to be seen, and the film feels like it would be good for
multiple viewings. The characterization is strong and not simplistic at
all, you could argue that Kowalski is just another grouchy war vet, but
Eastwood's beautiful, nuanced performance as well as some neat little
touches in the screenplay (particularly towards the end) which I won't
discuss in detail to avoid spoiling anything (and it's really fun to
watch this movie unfold, Eastwood keeps the film moving at a
wonderfully involving pace) would prove you wrong. The film works on
yet another level as a deconstruction of Eastwood's image. I don't mean
that as a negative, it just adds to the film's strength as a character
study.

It's a more intimate film than Eastwood's other film this year,
"Changeling", and also on a smaller scale than many of his other films,
but it's just as ambitious in many ways. This is not a politically
correct film about a grouchy old racist suddenly turning into the most
tolerant person around, it is a film about a man who, near the end of
his life, is forced to confront his demons, and on the sunnier side
about a man who finds true friendship where he least expected it. By
the end of "Gran Torino" I had forgiven any flaws it might have, and
was completely satisfied with the film, which far exceeded my
expectations. I have a feeling that "Gran Torino", which has already
been met with strongly positive reviews (but is still being described
as a 'minor' Eastwood film by some), will eventually become an
especially important part of Eastwood's filmography.